The Hollyridge Strings

The Hollyridge Strings were an in-house act released by Capitol Records. Throughout the 1960's, they were perhaps best known for their instrumental versions of Beatles songs. In fact, so popular was their first album that an album exists by "The Mustangs" whose cover is a take-off of the cover to the first instrumental Beatles album by the Strings. Stu Phillips arranged and conducted the first three volumes, plus the album with solo songs on it. Perry Botkin, Jr. and Mort Garson did the honors on volume four, but Garson alone did the job on volume five. Botkin had previously conducted the Strings some years before. For the interested fanatic, here are the Hollyridge Strings' Beatles albums in all their glory:


The Beatles Song Book
Capitol (S)T-2116

    Side One
  1. From Me to You
  2. I Saw Her Standing There
  3. Please Please Me
  4. P.S. I Love You
  5. Love Me Do
  6. I Want to Hold Your Hand
    Side Two
  1. Can't Buy Me Love
  2. All My Loving
  3. A Taste of Honey
  4. Do You Want to Know a Secret?
  5. She Loves You

One song from this LP is featured on the promotional album, Balanced for Broadcast, from June, 1964 (Capitol PRO-2634).


The Beatles Song Book, Vol. 2
Capitol (S)T-2202

    Side One
  1. A Hard Day's Night
  2. Things We Said Today
  3. She's a Woman
  4. If I Fell
  5. I'll Cry Instead
  6. I'm Happy Just to Dance With You

    Side Two
  1. I Feel Fine
  2. No Reply
  3. I'll Be Back
  4. I'm a Loser
  5. I'll Follow the Sun

This LP was available through the Capitol Record Club as ST-8-2202.
The first two Hollyridge Strings Beatles LP's were collected together in the reel to reel tape format as Capitol Y2T 2223.
A combined 8 track was also issued of the first two Strings LP's, which was later split up into two separate 8 tracks.


The New Beatles Song Book
Capitol (S)T-2429

    Side One
  1. The Night Before
  2. Yesterday
  3. Ticket to Ride
  4. Norwegian Wood
  5. Michelle
  6. Help!

    Side Two
  1. Day Tripper
  2. Nowhere Man
  3. And I Love Her
  4. Girl
  5. We Can Work it Out

The Strings' third Beatles LP was collected together with the Oldies But Goldies LP in the reel to reel tape format (Capitol Y2T 2710).


The Beatles Song Book, Vol. 4
Capitol (S)T-2656

    Side One
  1. Strawberry Fields Forever
  2. Eleanor Rigby
  3. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
  4. Taxman
  5. Good Day Sunshine
  6. Act Naturally

    Side Two
  1. Penny Lane
  2. Yellow Submarine
  3. Eight Days a Week
  4. Drive My Car
  5. I've Just Seen a Face

The fourth Hollyridge Strings Beatles LP was collected together with their second volume of Beach Boys songs in the reel to reel tape format (Y2T 2807).
A combined 8 track was also issued of the third and fourth Strings LP's (8X2T 2753), which was later split up into two separate 8 tracks.


The Beatles Song Book, Vol. 5
Capitol (S)T-2876

    Side One
  1. Magical Mystery Tour
  2. I am the Walrus
  3. The Fool on the Hill
  4. A Day in the Life
  5. Your Mother Should Know
  6. Baby You're a Rich Man

    Side Two
  1. Hello Goodbye
  2. She's Leaving Home
  3. All You Need is Love
  4. When I'm Sixty-Four
  5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

This LP was available through the Capitol Record Club as ST-8-2876.


The George, John, Paul, & Ringo Songbook
Capitol ST-839

    Side One
  1. Here Comes the Sun
  2. Hey Jude
  3. Another Day
  4. Let it Be
  5. The Long and Winding Road

    Side Two
  1. My Sweet Lord
  2. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
  3. Something
  4. It Don't Come Easy
  5. Bangla-Desh


Great Hit Songs of the Beatles
Capitol Special Products SLB-8091

    Side One
  1. I Want to Hold Your Hand
  2. And I Love Her
  3. Norwegian Wood
  4. Let it Be
  5. We Can Work it Out

    Side Two
  1. Eleanor Rigby
  2. Can't Buy Me Love
  3. Do You Want to Know a Secret
  4. Something
  5. She Loves You
  6. Yellow Submarine
    Side Three
  1. A Hard Day's Night
  2. Penny Lane
  3. All You Need is Love
  4. Long and Winding Road
  5. Michelle
  6. Help!
    Side Four
  1. Yesterday
  2. I Feel Fine
  3. Ticket to Ride
  4. Hello Goodbye
  5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
  6. Hey Jude
This two-disc set contains nothing new, being only a compilation of past albums by the Strings. The album director was Ernest K. Dominy. The LP was released in 1977.

The Strings Single Out the Beatles

Strings singles are much harder to come by than their LP's. Of interest to Beatles fans are:

"Love Me Do"/"All My Loving," Capitol 5207
This single was released contemporary to the promotional EP, Capitol PRO 2626/7, also shown above, which featured "All My Loving," "Can't Buy Me Love," "Love Me Do," and "PS I Love You."

The Strings Play Other Artists

The Strings also recorded a fair number of other albums, including:


The Beach Boys Song Book, Capitol (S)T-2156

HS Play Instrumental Versions of Hits Made Famous by the Four Seasons, Capitol (S)T-2199

HS Play Instrumental Versions of Hits Made Famous by Elvis Presley, Capitol (S)T-2221
same as above, also available as a jukebox compact 33, SXA-2221
The first Beach Boys LP was boxed together with the Elvis Presley LP as a reel to reel tape, Capitol Y2T 2224.

The Nat King Cole Song Book, Capitol (S)T-2310
The Cole Song Book LP was collected together with the Strings' Four Seasons LP as a reel to reel tape, Capitol Y2T-2406.
Six tracks from the LP were also collected in a jukebox compact 33, Capitol SU 1-2310
The May-June 1964 issue of Capitol's Silver Platter promotional series featured an interview with Stu Phillips. Two songs are played from The Beatles Song Book, and Phillips discusses making the album. (Numbered 105/106).
The April 1965 issue of Capitol's Instant Music promotional series was a Hollyridge Strings LP, containing shortened versions of songs from their earlier LP's (T-2310, T-2221, T-2202, T-2199, T-2156, and T-2116). The album is numbered Capitol PRO 2858/2859.

Christmas Favorites, Capitol (S)T-2404
reissued in 1978 as Capitol SM-11830

HS Play Oldies But Goldies, Capitol (S)T-2564

HS Play the Beach Boys Song Book--Vol. 2, Capitol (S)T-2749

HS Play the Hits of Simon & Garfunkel, Capitol ST-2998
same as above, also available as a compact 33 from Capitol Special Markets, SU-2998

Hits of the 70's, Capitol ST-883 (or SW-8-0883) Contains "Imagine", which is not on any of their other albums.

The Strings also releases a few (commercial and promotional) 7 inch records, including:

"Lucy's Theme"/"Theme From Hippodrome" (both sides conducted by Bunny Botkin), Capitol F 4557
"The Guns of Navarone"/"A Thunder of Drums" (both sides conducted by Perry Botkin, Jr.), Capitol 4600
"Moon River"/"Something Big" (both sides conducted by Perry Botkin, Jr.), Capitol 4631
"Devil At 4 O'Clock"/"The Comancheros" (both sides conducted by Jimmie Haskell), Capitol 4664
"My Melancholy Baby"/"Light in the Piazza" (both sides conducted by Perry Botkin, Jr.), Capitol 4687
"It Happened in Athens"/"Song of Greece" (both sides conducted by Jimmie Haskell), Capitol 4720
"The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao," Capitol 5165 (b-side is by Dmitri Tiomkin)
A promotional EP was released to coincide with the issue of the Beach Boys Concert album. One side of that EP featured Brian Wilson introducing two tracks from the Beach Boys' Song Book. It is numbered Capitol PRO 2754/5.
"L-O-V-E"/"Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," Capitol 5432
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"/"Santa's Got a Brand New Bag," Capitol 5533
"Song of Greece," Capitol (number unknown)

Finally, there was also an LP by a Capitol group called the Hollyridge Singers: a cover of the soundtrack to Skyscraper, Capitol (S)T-2411. In conjunction with the LP, a single was released: "The Gaiety"/"More than One Way," Capitol 5551.

This page was last updated on 01 My 07.